2012 Hyundai Accent

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Estimated MPG

Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), also known as "sticker" price, is a recommended selling price that automakers give a new car that is above the invoice price paid by the dealer. It is a price that does not include any options that can be added to a particular car style. When shown as a range, the prices are starting MSRPs, without options, for multiple styles for that model.

This price range reflects for-sale prices on Cars.com for this particular make, model and year.

These city and highway gas mileage estimates are for the model's standard trim configurations. Where there are optional features, packages or equipment that result in higher gas mileage, those fuel-economy estimates are not included here.

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1-10 of 41 reviews

Good Fuel Economy, but avoid in any Snow Climate

by Daily Driver with a 100+ mile Commute from Northeast Ohio | August 5, 2014

I've had a 2012 Accent, 6 Speed manual for about a year now. This car is used primarily for commuting, as I drive about 52 miles to and from work every day, mostly highway driving. I'm simply going to provide you with the pros and cons of this vehicle, and let you make your own assessment from there.
Pros: It's easy to drive, and the manual is easy enough to shift especially for an economy car. The gas mileage overall is quite good, depending on how you drive it. If you're easy on the throttle and cruise at around 70mph, it's not hard to average about 40-42 mpg in this car calculated from the pump. If you're an aggressive drive like me and tend to average more around 80-85mph and accelerate hard occasionally, you'll see more around 37mpg which I don't think is bad at all for that speed.
Cons: A lot of these you're already expecting when dealing with this class of car. Of course it's light on features, and the interior and exterior are cheaply made. I can deal with that, but what really kills this car is just how flimsy the chassis and suspension is. Despite having one of the loosest suspensions I've ever driven a car with, it rides rough and you'll feel plenty of bumps in the road. There's a ton of body roll so don't expect to be able to go around any corners above grandma speed. But what really kills the appeal of this car is just how unsafe it is to drive in inclement weather. Anything as light as 10-15mph wind gusts WILL push this car 2-3 feet off center, and you'll have to be ready to counter steer to avoid swerving out of your lane or into another driver. Performance in the rain is poor as well, so expect to hydroplane often and slow down much more than in more grounded cars to keep it safe. And then we get to snow... don't even try to drive this thing with stock tires in the snow. You will literally get stuck in 1-2 inches and be unable to accelerate or brake at all. It honestly felt identical to the time I made the mistake of driving a Mazda3 with summer tires in the snow which is a terrible idea. Even if you buy snow tires for this car, it's still downright unsafe to drive in the snow. The car is simply to light to ever gain traction, and at speed when traction loss occurs, it will pull hard to one direction and the steering wheel will have no effect which makes it very easy to crash into a median or side rail if you're not an experienced driver. The electic steering here is also a horrible feature, as it makes it very difficult to feel what your tires are doing in such weather conditions. It's like driving a dead fish.
In summary, this is a fine car if you live in Texas or Florida. But if you live in any state with even a brief winter, please get a Fiesta or another car instead that can actually handle itself in the snow with proper snow tires.

CAVEAT: Locks/unlocks from driver's door ONLY

by Dismayed in PA from Pittsburgh, PA | July 14, 2014

Have had this car less than a week, so can't assess much but have been very unpleasantly surprised to find it can only be unlocked -- AND LOCKED! -- from driver's door. Extremely inconvenient.
Wish I'd known that before, as the main reason I must have a car is to ferry elderly relatives to doctor's appointments, grocery trips, etc. "Hang on to your walker, mom, while I run around to lock the car….."
After plunking down a down-payment, taxes, registration, etc., I am now going to have to spend a few hundred bucks to get a keyless entry, which I don't need. Why couldn't Hyundai spend another 30 cents and install a passenger-side keyhole and lock?

Needs That Warranty

by kenh91 from Jacksonville, FL | July 8, 2014

From the outset, the car made a popping sound, which seemed to be in the steering or suspension. I took it to the dealer I bought it from, and they claimed they did not hear it. On a trip, I took it to a dealer in another city because I was afraid to take it on the long drive home. Same response. (Hyundai seems to have a different class of dealer.) Finally I took it to a dealer who found bad tie-rod ends. The sound was better, but some of it continued. Ultimately, the headliner had to be pulled down and defective welds fixed. A few thousand miles later, there was a problem with the engine racing almost to redline, when the clutch peddle was pushed in. That required two trips to a dealer. All this within the first 30,000 miles. Will it leave me stranded?

Great Car

by Greg from Tampa, Fl. | March 14, 2014

I bought the 2012 Hyundai Accent with 34,000 .miles on it , have drove it approx. 1,000 miles so far. Gas mileage is always around 36 mpg highway and city combined, the car is surprisingly quick for a 1.6 liter with a 6 speed automatic transmission. The car is fully loaded with the premium package. Interior is comfortable and well designed, the exterior is an excellent designed, looks much larger than it is. The 16 inch wheels and tire make the car handle excellent, stereo is great. For a small gas saver this car is great, best bang for the buck.

2nd Accent - 1st New One

by Accent Owner from Maryland | February 9, 2014

We've been very pleased with our 2008 Hyundai Accent. My husband puts about 100 miles a day on it, and it has held up very well since we acquired it in 2009. So when we decided to get another car, we decided on another Accent. It's definitely a compact car (my 6' 3" father doesn't fit comfortably in it if there are 4 people), but otherwise, it's actually quite roomy inside. Very attractive. Turns on a dime. Just another good, solid car.

Portly people look elsewhere

by Martinex from Frederick | September 20, 2013

I've driven small cars most of my life. This despite the fact that I'm not a small man but the recent spate of compacts and subcompacts have left me feeling gigantic. The Hyundai accent is no exception. It's a nice looking automobile, sort of a shrunken version of the Elantra. It also comes nicely equipped with Satellite Radio and ipod interface. My problems began as soon as I sat in the vehicle. I'm 5'10" (average height) but I'm also a bit wide if you will. The first thing I noticed was my head scraping the roof. This was solved by lowering the seat to the lowest possible setting. The accents lack of a center console (really how expensive can it be to put a box between the seats) was a real drawback. The little flip down arm rest is too close making it virtually worthless. I also wasn't crazy about the floaty handling. Lot's of body lean on turns. The suspension was just too soft. I'm not going to complain about performance. After all, it is a subcompact. The gas mileage was better than expected. Once you resign yourself to the fact that you're never going to win any stoplight confrontations you begin to ease up on the gas pedal. The accent rewards you with pretty decent fuel economy. Don't get me wrong: It's not a bad little car but the uncomfortable driving position makes me think that there may be better choices.

Great Buy

by Jack from Madison, Wisconsin | September 17, 2013

I didn't know about cars.com. A relative recommended it to me, and even found the car. The ride is smooth, though it's a little unsteady in lane changes. It may just be that I'm getting used to it.
The radio has Sirius XM until it expires. The sound is great, but I get a little tired of programmed listening. I prefer an actual radio show with a DJ, even with commercials, which I can tune out.
Everyone I've talked to loves Hyundai.

Lots of bugs

by Brad from Fort Collins CO | May 20, 2013

On going issue with check engine lights and valve stem tire pressure monitoring makes it a pain. Plus occasional window not wanting to roll up. Dealer solution is to reset the computer. O that is very comforting . I am glad it has a 5 year warranty but I will have rid myself of it long before then.
Plus the front end is so low most of the under engine protection is damaged just from speed bumps and street drain pans.

Terrible

by TeaganJune from South Australia | April 9, 2013

I have had my 2012 Hyundai Accent for 6 months now and it has already gone in for an engine rebuild, well it needed a short motor and new drive shaft, but they pretty much replaced the whole front end.
Not only that, but it now has an oil leak, which i took it back to hyundai who said nothing wrong with it and it's normal. My partner works with cars and he had a look a week later and noticed it still dripping oil! took it back to hyundai only to be told it is a problem with the head gasket!
In a brand new car these things should not happen!!
not happy at all!